10 Ways To Handle Yourself In A Bar Fight

If anyone asked you how good you were in a fight, chances are you would be unlikely to confirm that your sole skill in hand-to-hand combat is being able to scream like a girl and slap your hands in your opponents face in the hope that your flailing fingers would scare him off. The truth is, a real man should be able to handle himself when it's on, and as both Steven Gerrard and Vinnie Jones have proved in recent times, sometimes the drama can kick off anywhere, anytime, so it pays to be ready.

Despite the fact that many of us would like to pretend to be hardcore super-human warriors, the truth is that thanks to a mixture of soft toilet tissue, moisturising lotions and televised dance competitions most of us men just aren't as tough as we used to be.

Of course this doesn't apply to all men. Vin Diesel is still as tough as nails. In fact, he is back and tougher than ever in a new sci-fi, epic, explosive, extravaganza called Babylon A.D, which sees our reluctant hero battling it out in a cage (besides other things) in a post apocalyptic battle. To celebrate the release of the DVD which is out now, we were given a chance to go head to head with the lads at London Shootfighters cage fighting gym to not only learn the top 10 ways to win a bar fight but also to have them demonstrated first hand at our own painful convenience.

Number 1

Avoid conflict

Obviously the best way to win a bar fight is to never get into one in the first place. Most fights start after someone escalates the situation which causes adrenaline that quickly results in physical aggression. By simply staying calm and trying to be passive as possible it's often possible to simply dissolve the situation before it starts. It might not make you look big but it will keep your face nice and pretty.

Number 2

Run away

Don't be afraid to run away. All the best fighters in the world agree that it's often better to run from a fight than to end up reflecting on how poor an idea the whole fight thing was in the first place from a hospital or prison bed. At the end of the day if the worst that happens is you escape completely unharmed aside from perhaps a slightly battered ego you haven't done too bad. And you can always console yourself by pretending that if it had come to blows he would have come off worse. So really, you did it to protect the other guy.

Number 3

Hit first

If things are going to come to blows, get the first one in. If the guy is shoving you and it's obvious there is going to be a fight, don't let him get the upper hand by hitting you first. Paul Ivens of London Shootfights says that often the first punch is enough to set the tone for who will win the fight anyway. If you manage to get in that first blow you may just put them off their guard long enough to win the fight. Even if they are considerably tougher than you.